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I’m running because I sit in a unique place. I’m a special education teacher and a parent, so I’ve lived both sides of this. I know what it feels like when the system works for a kid and when it doesn’t. I’ve seen how much a child’s emotional well-being and executive functioning skills matter: the ability to manage big feelings, stay organized, plan ahead, and keep going when things get hard.
What I want is to work along with school members and the community to help make practical decisions that protect the foundations of learning and that families can trust.
Being an educator requires you to think clearly when things get intense, really listen to people, and still find solutions even when the resources just aren’t there. Those experiences taught me how to stay detail oriented without ever losing sight of the bigger picture.
But more than anything, being a teacher shaped me to dig down to the real root of a problem instead of just treating the surface. It’s this kind of work that builds the efficiency, reliability and steadiness you need when things can feel uncertain.
I’d keep it practical and honest. We have to maintain and continue to strengthen support that keeps strong teachers and staff around because when good people leave, the kids feel it first. At the same time, I’d look hard at administrative and non-classroom spending to find real efficiencies.
Clear communication matters a lot to me. I want the community to see the trade-offs clearly so everyone understands that fiscal discipline and protecting educational quality aren’t opposites, they have to go together. Nobody’s excited about higher taxes just for the sake of it, and nobody wants to shortchange the kids. The only path that feels right is careful, disciplined budgeting that puts learning in the classroom first.
I believe schools should provide the tools to handle this fast paced life. School looks so different now than when I was growing up. The pressures on kids can be huge, and it hits me hard sometimes thinking about what they’re carrying. We need to lean into the things that actually help them manage it all. Teaching academics before kids have developmental foundations is like decorating a house before it is built. These foundations are executive functioning skills and emotional regulation. Things like planning ahead, staying organized, managing their time, handling frustration when something doesn’t go right, and being able to calm themselves down so they can keep going. Those aren’t extras. They are the foundation. Without them, critical thinking and real world readiness just don’t develop the same way. Any changes made should come from what the data shows about how kids are doing, from the students themselves, teachers and from honest conversations with parents. I’m not interested in change just to say we changed something. I want the curriculum to give kids the tools to become steady, independent people.
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I am running to ensure our schools maintain a thoughtful balance between innovative education and the preservation of healthy childhood development. Without strong, clear policies in place, technology will continue to displace foundational learning and face-to-face interaction at detrimental levels. I want to help Mountain Lakes navigate this challenge by establishing age-appropriate guardrails—protecting young learners from excessive screen-based learning, setting clear limits on personal devices in upper grades, and ensuring technology serves as a tool for rigorous learning rather than a distraction.
Having spent over a decade at Google, I understand the mechanics, incentives, and attention economy behind modern technology from the inside out—giving me a unique, informed perspective when crafting district policy.
Beyond my professional background, I have spent years advocating for updated community norms and school policies to protect our children from digital harms. As co-lead of our community's Low-Tech Committee, I have worked directly with our principals, administrators, and parents to start critical conversations and ensure diverse parent perspectives are heard.
Professionally and locally, my focus has always been on consensus-building among stakeholders with competing priorities. I offer our board a rare blend of tech industry insight, practical governance skills, and a proven commitment to collaborating with educators and families to support Mountain Lakes students.
In a district like ours that deeply values education, balancing these priorities isn't about cutting corners; it’s about thoughtful stewardship and clear alignment. Retaining top-tier educators and delivering an exceptional student experience are the bedrock of our community. The board’s role is to ensure our resources are strategically deployed to support those core priorities while remaining responsible stewards of public funds. Achieving that balance requires continuous dialogue with teachers, administrators, parents, and taxpayers—ensuring everyone understands the 'why' behind our investments and that our district policies reflect the shared vision of our entire town.
Rather than dictating specific classroom content, the board’s role is to establish clear policy frameworks that guide our curriculum leaders. I want to help our district proactively address the rapid rise of digital tools and generative AI. We need age-appropriate guidelines that define when technology enhances deep, critical thinking—and when it detracts from it. My goal is to support our administrators and teachers with modern policies that preserve foundational, face-to-face learning in early grades while responsibly preparing older students for an AI-driven world.
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